Introduction

The university does not currently have a policy specifically regarding AI and student usage. Because there is no one-size-fits-all approach to AI, we encourage you to create a syllabus statement on how you want to approach AI in your classroom. Some faculty have decided that they consider it a violation of the academic integrity and consider it a form of plagiarism, while others are embracing it and using it in their classrooms; no matter your stance, set clear guidelines and expectations about usage in your course.

Why & How?

Students are looking for guidance when it comes to how and when they can use AI. In many cases, students are anxious to use AI because they fear faculty are going to assume they are using it to cheat, and they fear repercussions. Creating a syllabus statement with clear guidelines about your acceptance of AI (or lack there of) will help students understand if and when they can use AI in your course.

While we acknowledge the need to ensure academic integrity in your courses, we encourage you to focus on how you can incorporate positive aspects of academic integrity (developing trust and community) in your course and set clear expectations in your syllabus; this will create a positive learning environment and allow you to focus less on policing student behavior and more on teaching/interacting with your students

Figuring Out Where you Stand

You probably already know what your acceptance level is when it comes to student usage of AI in your course(s). Acceptance is a spectrum; where I fall on the spectrum is probably different than where you fall. In order to prepare students for AI in our course(s), we want to make sure we are clear about where we stand and what we will allow. When I think of acceptance of AI, I often think of it as a stop light:

RED - You do not want students to use AI in your course and see it as a violation of academic integrity.
YELLOW - You want to proceed with caution. You are okay with students using AI in some cases, but not others.
GREEN - You are embracing AI and want to integrate AI into your course(s) and assessments.

Figuring out where you fall on the spectrum is the first step in setting a policy for your course(s).

How to Create a Policy that Works for you

Decide what your level of acceptance is going to be (red light, yellow light, green light).
Explore other policies for inspiration/find some that align with your views on AI (see below)
Create your own policy and include:
1. Your view on AI and transparency on if and how you will use it in the course.
2. How students can or cannot use AI in your course(s). If students usage will vary based on assignment type (e.g. exam or learning activity), be clear on when and where they can and cannot use it.
3. Potential consequences of using it inappropriately (academic consequences, ability to complete assignments, etc.)
4. What behavior violates academic integrity

Example Policies

Want to see what others are using for their syllabi? Check out Lance Eaton's working google doc, Classroom Policies for AI Generative Tools or this Padlet that focuses on University Policies on Generative AI. These resources share a range of policies from educators and universities throughout the US and the world. If you're stuck on where to begin, these will help you with getting started. Several policies following red, yellow, and green levels of acceptance have been shared below, in addition to several syllabi from UNO faculty. The syllabi shared below are Creative Commons 4.0 By & Share Alike; feel free to use them in your own courses (and cite) or adapt them to fit your needs.

For Faculty who fall in the RED ZONE

In this class, the use of generative AI tools (e.g. ChatGPT, Gemini, image generation tools, etc.) to complete assignments is prohibited. This includes but is not limited to, using generative AI to generate your assignment answers, edit or revise your assignments, or to analyze course materials you are asked to consume.

The goal of this course is to think critically, learn to solve problems, and build foundational skills that are important for you in your future careers. Using generative AI will hinder the development of these skills and undermine the learning objectives in this course.

Violating this policy will be treated as a violation of academic integrity and may result in a failing grade for the assignment or course. If you have questions about whether a specific tool or method is permissible, consult with me in advance.

“All work submitted in this course must be your own. Contributions from anyone or anything else- including AI sources, must be properly quoted and cited every time they are used. Failure to do so constitués an academic integrity violation, and I will follow the institution’s policy to the letter in those instances.”

-Harmania, Reddit (Theatre courses at a small liberal arts college)

For Faculty who fall in the YELLOW ZONE

Generative AI (e.g. ChatGPT, Gemini, image generation tools, etc.) is an important tool for us to explore and to learn to use; however, it is important that the use of these tools does not take the place of learning content, critical thinking skills, and other important foundational skills. Below you will find examples of allowed and disallowed uses of AI in this course. If you have questions about whether a specific tool or method is permissible, consult with me in advance.

In this class, the use of generative AI tools is permitted in the following circumstances:

- - brainstorming ideas for projects or papers
  - studying for exams by generating summaries and practice questions
  - editing initial versions of projects or papers to improve clarity and grammar

The use of generative AI tools is not permitted in the following circumstances:

- - drafting versions of assignments that you then edit and improve
  - editing or providing feedback on peers’ projects or papers

Although the use of AI is not required for this course, citations are always required if AI is used in this course. Citations should be provided using the table provided below. Use of AI outside of the circumstances identified above, without prior consult for examples not identified, or without proper citations may be a violation of the UNO Student Code of Conduct, specifically the Academic Integrity Standards. For more information, review the Student Code of Conduct here.

There are situations and contexts within this course where you will be asked to use AI tools to explore how they can be used. Outside of those circumstances, you are discouraged from using AI tools to generate content (text, video, audio, images) that will end up in any student work (assignments, activities, responses, etc) that is part of your evaluation in this course. Any student work submitted using AI tools should clearly indicate what work is the student’s work and what part is generated by the AI. In such cases, no more than 25% of the student work should be generated by AI. If any part of this is confusing or uncertain, please reach out to me for a conversation before submitting your work.

-Lance Eaton, CU's Institutional Strategy for AI Generative Tools (Digital Interventions: AI & Education - College Unbound)

For Faculty who fall in the GREEN ZONE

Generative AI can be a great collaborative tool that enhances your learning experience. The goal of allowing generative AI in this course is to develop important skills while still maintaining academic integrity. Some successful ways of using generative AI as a partner in this course include:

- - studying for exams by generating summaries, practice questions, or explanations.
  - drafting initial versions of assignments that you then edit and improve
  - brainstorming ideas for projects or papers
  - editing initial versions of a paper to improve clarity and grammar.
  - seeking guidance and suggestions when stuck on a problem.

While generative AI is allowed and can be helpful throughout this course, there will be assignments that require your own thought, personal reflection, or ask you to use skills that AI cannot produce well. AI will not be good at:

- - Giving your personal opinion
  - Providing accurate research articles
  - Providing detailed responses with correct answers

It is crucial that you are thoughtful about your integration of AI into your work and always think critically about the output generative AI gives you, as it is known to produce biased, incomplete or inaccurate information.

Throughout this course, you will be responsible for ensuring your final submissions contain accurate information and reflect your own understanding and efforts. While I am open to you using AI on assignments in this course, it is important that you are transparent in your use and provide proper attribution to the tools. When you use AI on an assignment, please answer the following questions on how you use generative AI and submit them with your assignment:

Generative AI Attribution

- - Please share all the ways you used generative AI on this assignment (e.g. brainstorming, drafting, polishing, etc.)
  - What tool did you use (e.g. ChatGPT, Dall-E, etc.)?
  - How did you edit the output, or how is the final product still a representation of something you created?
  - Please provide the conversation link if applicable.

We treat AI-based assistance, such as ChatGPT and Github Copilot, the same way we treat collaboration with other people: you are welcome to talk about your ideas and work with other people, both inside and outside the class, as well as with AI-based assistants. However, all work you submit must be your own. You should never include in your assignment anything that was not written directly by you without proper citation (including quotation marks and in-line citation for direct quotes). Including anything you did not write in your assignment without proper citation will be treated as an academic misconduct case.

If you are unsure where the line is between collaborating with AI and copying from AI, we recommend the following heuristics:

- - Never hit “Copy” within your conversation with an AI assistant. You can copy your own work into your conversation, but do not copy anything from the conversation back into your assignment. Instead, use your interaction with the AI assistant as a learning experience, then let your assignment reflect your improved understanding.
  - Do not have your assignment and the AI agent itself open on your device at the same time. Similar to above, use your conversation with the AI as a learning experience, then close the interaction down, open your assignment, and let your assignment reflect your revised knowledge. This heuristic includes avoiding using AI assistants that are directly integrated into your composition environment: just as you should not let a classmate write content or code directly into your submission, so also you should avoid using tools that directly add content to your submission.

Deviating from these heuristics does not automatically qualify as academic misconduct; however, following these heuristics essentially guarantees your collaboration will not cross the line into misconduct.

-David Joyner, Georgia Institute of Technology (Human Computer Interaction - CS6750 & Knowledge-Based AI - CS7637)

UNO Faculty Examples

Below is an example of an AI Policy that UNO faculty member, Gregory Morin is using in MKT3200.

AI POLICY (ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE) [This is based on an AI Policy used by Professor Ethan Mollick]

You have likely heard about AI and how it can be used in a variety of ways. In this class we will experiment with these tools (ChatGPT at a minimum; others if we have time). Learning to use AI is an emerging skill. We will work together to develop tutorials in Canvas about how to use them. Be aware of the limits for ChatGPT (and other tools):

- - The quality of the output directly correlates to the quality of the prompt. Refining prompts will yield better outcomes, and this will require time and practice.
  - Be wary of the output. The best output comes from topics you know and understand. “If it gives you a number or fact, assume it is wrong unless you either know the answer or can check it with another source. You will be responsible for any errors or omissions provided by the tool.”
  - You need to acknowledge when, where, and how you are using any AI tool. Include an explanation of what tool you used and what prompt(s) got the results. “Failure to do so is in violation of academic honesty policies” (see other part of class syllabus).
  - This is a tool and useful for specific purposes, so do not use it where it is inappropriate.

Below is an example of an AI Policy that UNO faculty member, Chad Owsley is using in COMM 8020.

Intelligent Technology

Use of generative Articial Intelligence (AI) tools, such as ChatGPT, DALL-E, and similar technologies, is permissible in this course for specific activities aimed at enhancing individual creativity, idea generation, and writing skills. Use of AI falls under general Academic Integrity policies. For more information, see the Academic Integrity policy below. It is also important to adhere to ethical standards when utilizing these tools. The following guidelines outline acceptable and unacceptable usage limits of generative aI tools within the context of this course:

Permitted and Restricted Uses of AI
Permitted Use	Restricted Use
Brainstorming and refining your ideas; Fine-tuning your research questions; Finding information on your topic; Checking grammar and style.	Impersonating you in classroom contexts, such as by using the tool to compose discussion board prompts assigned to you or content that you put into a zoom chat. Writing a draft of a writing assignment. Writing entire sentences, paragraphs, or even papers to complete class assignments.

Share your syllabus statement with us by filling out this AI syllabus submission form.